in this issue....
	6.0 Brings you Portfolio Manager Our Newest Client - Digital Steps Ltd 6.0 Risk Analysis Made Easy! AMS REALTIME Release 5.7 Build 187 I didn't know you could do that!

Our Newest Client - Digital Steps Ltd

Digital Steps Ltd (DSL) completed a 6 week pilot on June 18th and promptly bought the AMS REALTIME Solution to; manage all internal and external projects (using Microsoft Project and the AMS REALTIME MSP Link), control billing (via AMS REALTIME Solo/Web-Solo) and manage their staff (via AMS REALTIME Resources). Digital Steps are a revolutionary software and systems integration company, specialising in the creation of business value. Their Business Breakthrough Workshops focus on identifying and unlocking the potential that businesses possess, and their bespoke development services and range of J2EE-based products help to realise that potential. They have in-depth knowledge of a range of IBM software products, which they sell and for which they provide support. In addition, Digital Steps offers some of its products in a managed service configuration at a secure location with full backup facilities. "We decided to purchase the AMS REALTIME Solution because we needed an effective and reliable means of recording the hours spent on project work to drive our billing process, we wanted to gain more control of our resources and their workloads, and we needed a simple, effective, and less labour-intensive way of keeping our project plans up-to-date." Esther Hayes, Digital Steps Commercial Director. Digital Steps Ltd website... »

6.0 Risk Analysis Made Easy!

Risk Analysis (using the Monte Carlo © method) has just been added in as an option to AMS REALTIME Enterprise Projects in version 6.0. We have demystified this much misunderstood technique for analysing the probability of activities in your project completing on schedule. This technique is often not used because most available software solutions are too complicated, they are a separate product usually provided by a different supplier, and the results are difficult to interpret. Using Enterprise Projects, you can select any activity in the your project and run a Risk Analysis simulation on it. As the simulation is running you will see the results chart building before your eyes in real-time. The completed analysis will highlight, based on the selected activity, the liklihood of it finishing where currently scheduled, it's median finish-date, and the 95% probable finish date of the activity. Armed with this information, all project managers, whether they are experienced or not, can manage the expectations of their customers and provide a more professional project management service. AMS REALTIME Enterprise Projects is the first scheduling tool to have this technique supported as an integrated component. Existing users of the AMS REALTIME Enterprise Solution, using AMS REALTIME Projects or Microsoft project, will be able to take advantage of this new facility, by committing their plans to the AMS REALTIME Enterprise Server, opening the plan using AMS REALTIME Enterprise Projects, and clicking on the Risk Analysis button. animated demonstration of AMS REALTIME Risk Analysis... »

AMS REALTIME Release 5.7 Build 187

This release became available on 21st July 2004. Please visit our web site to download the relevant service pack and release notes. service pack request... »

I didn't know you could do that!

AMS REALTIME Projects - Project Total Roll-up Values in Vision Reports Many of our clients want to see the total rolled-up cost figures, total-duration etc for the entire project, shown on a Vision report. This is simple to do and assumes that you have a WBS and have created a title-bar at the top of the WBS hierarchy, or you have an AMS REALTIME Projects generated Schedule Summary bar at the top of your schedule which has an activity-id. If a schedule summary bar is present and it does not have an Act-id, just enter a zero in the Act-ID column. Make a note of the Act-id of this Schedule Summary or Title top level bar. In Vision, switch to Form Edit mode, load your report, and decide where you want to place the EAC (for the entire project) field. Click on the MetaString tool (on the left hand side tools selection area), and select "Specific Act Exts". In the resultant dialogue type in the Act-id you noted down earlier, and select EAC from the resultant list of Activity extension fields. Then simply place your field on your report by clicking with the mouse. If required you can then format the field and select other top-level project values from the same activity (i.e. BAC, tBCWP, CPI, SPI,...). for help on how to use AMS REALTIME products... »